Intel CEO to deliver commencement speech, honorary award speakers announced

Jessica Langer, Olivia Albert
Tue, 19 Apr 2022 18:45:15 +0000
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Intel CEO Patrick P. Gelsinger will speak at Ohio State’s Spring 2022 commencement May 8. Credit: Photo courtesy of Intel Corporation

Patrick P. Gelsinger, the CEO of Intel, will deliver Ohio State’s spring commencement address to graduates May 8, according to a university news release.

More than 12,000 degrees and certificates will be awarded in the Ohio Stadium. According to the release, Gelsinger will be awarded a Doctor in Engineering for technological advancements he led for over four decades with Intel, a corporation he’s been with since he was 18 years old.?

Intel announced Feb. 3 it will invest more than $20 billion in the construction of a new plant in the Columbus area, which will include a $100 million pledge to partner with Ohio education institutions. The collaboration hopes to “build a pipeline of talent and bolter research programs in the region.”?

Prior to becoming the Intel CEO in 2021, Gelsinger served as the CEO of VMware — a leader in providing multi-cloud services for all apps — according to the release. He was also named the best CEO in America by Glassdoor’s annual survey in 2019.?

Throughout his time at Intel, Gelsinger has served as its first chief technology office, senior vice president and general manager of the Digital Enterprise Group. In those roles, he oversaw the creation of USB and WiFi as well as aided the development of Intel’s computer processing units that interpret and execute instructions done by the user.??

University President Kristina M. Johnson said in the release Gelsinger’s work is groundbreaking, and she is looking forward to his remarks.

“Over the past four decades, he has played a key role in ushering in technological advancements – from microprocessors to WiFi – that are the hallmarks of the modern digital age. And he isn’t close to done yet,” Johnson said. “His determination and fortitude, coupled with a magnanimous philanthropic spirit, have changed countless lives for the better.”

In addition to Gelsinger, Freeman A. Hrabowski III, Sen. Robert J. Portman and Grace Wahba will also be awarded honorary doctorates. Hrabowski, the president of University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will be honored with a Doctor of Education; Portman will be honored with a Doctor of Public Service and Wahba, a statistician, will be awarded a Doctor of Science.

Ohio State will present Caroline C. Whitacre and Robert L. Wright Jr. with the Distinguished Service Award — both Ohio State alumni. Whitacre served as the university’s senior vice president for research, associate vice president for health sciences research, vice dean for research in the College of Medicine and director of the School of Biomedical Science. Wright, an optometrist, also served as a city council member, associate administrator for Minority Small Business under former President Ronald Reagan and created several consulting firms.

The ceremony will start at noon. More information can be found on the commencement website.